A Shuriken For Your Thoughts
by IchigoVicky19
Summary: Enju (OC) is a freshly rescued ninja by the Shepherds. Being way too formal, she has a hard time fitting in. Luckily they are kind around her, and with her love for pudding she quickly befriends Stahl. However, one certain brown-haired swordsman will forever be a pain in the ass. Could Enju save him? Rated M for future NSFW scenes ;) Will eventually be 4-5 chapters long.


"Sheperds, attack!" Chrom yelled loudly as they ambushed a bandit camp. When a nearby village called out for help, he could only respond.

"Chrom, we're doing a pincer attack!" Robin shouted as she turned right, meaning that his party would go left. He had to be careful, as these bandits had kidnapped villagers and they could be among the bad guys. "Got it!" He replied and brandished his sword. Stahl and Frederick were at his sides and the plan Robin had in her mind could not fail.

And so, a mere ten minutes later, the Sheperds had overrun the camp and effectively captured the leader. "P-Please... spare me!" He pleaded for his life. Robin would have none of it as she pusher her boot on the side of his head. Chrom gulped, Robin could be scary if she was like that. "Milord, we found the villagers." Chrom happily shifted his attention to Frederick. "Great. How are they?" "Safe and sound, only small injuries. One person however, is suspicious." "How so?" "The bandits rather exaggerated when tying him or her up. Stahl is still trying to free the villager." Chrom raised an eyebrow at Fredericks report. He turned to Robin. "Can you take care of this guy?" "Who do you think I am?" Robin smirked amd that was Chrom's cue to leave the scene and tend to the villagers.

Once arrived, Chrom stared at the rope heap that Stahl had removed from the captured villager. "So it's a woman." Frederick started as he looked inside the tent. "I can see that Frederick." "...milord." The woman looked curiously at the new men while rubbing her wrists. "Thank you for saving me." She spoke up, but her voice was a little hoarse. "Who are you?" Frederick immediately asked. Stahl helped the woman up, showing an apologetic smile. After dusting of her knees, she replied. "My name is Enju. The bandits ambushed me on my way back from a mission." "Mission?" Chrom asked while Frederick placed his hand on his spear. "I am-" She stopped mid sentence. "I was a ninja, until my clan abandoned me after a failed undercover operation. Needless to say I was set up." She sounded a little bitter. Currently, she was clothed in rags which made Frederick warier. Enju saw him glare. "Is my presence to your Lord offending?" She asked calmly. "Not yet, Im still assessing if you are danger." "Frederick that's enough." The woman lowered herself on one knee and bowed. "No it's okay, you should be wary. I should've bowed as soon as I recognized you, Prince Chrom. I'm sorry for these clothes as I lost my usual gear." The dark haired man got rather uncomfortable with the current situation. "Please stand up, you don't have to bow for me. Are you okay?" "Yes I'm fine." She however, did not move from her spot. "If you'd allow me, I would like to join your group after I found my gear. I think my skills might come in handy and I don't mind dirty work." Her brown hair covered up her face a little. "We need all the help we can get, so you're free to join us, the Shepherds." Chrom said, ignoring pleading looks from Frederick. "I think this stuff is yours." Stahl spoke up. He handed her a rather large duffel bag. "Ah thank you very much."

Five months later, Enju became an official Shepherd. It took some time before Frederick accepted her, but Enju proved useful when she helped his horse in a rather crazy predicament during battle.

It was evening, and everyone was eating in the Mess Hall. This was usually not the place where Enju would eat.

On this particular evening, Frederick joined her outside for dinner. Sitting on a tree stump, Frederick asked what Chrom and many others bothered. "I was wondering why you are always eating outside, away from the others." Enju looked up. "People with a profession like mine do not belong in the same hall as a noble group like yours. I prefer to eat outside, as I can watch out for danger." "Aha. Well, even though I agree with you, milord requested your presence at the next dinner." "Then I shall honor his wish." Frederick left after delivering the message.

"I have arrived as you wished, Prince Chrom." She bowed, holding her plate of food expertly at her side. "Please, just Chrom. I'm not fond of the whole prince-servant roles, so pay it no mind." He smiled. "There is a seat next to Lon'qu." "Thank you." She sat down next to the brown-haired swordsman. In response, the swordsman moved a bit away from her. Enju pretended not to notice.

The two did not utter a word during dinner.

Afterwards, Enju felt obligated to apologize to the man named Lon'qu as soon as she was out of Chrom's reach. "Milord." As the swordsman continued walking, Enju reached out for his arm. "Milord. I'm sorry if my presence at dinner offended you." At the touch of her hand, Lon'qu turned around, noticing that he was the 'lord' that was being called. "Let go of my arm woman. I do not like to be touched." "My apologies." She immediately fell to one knee, lowering her gaze. "What are you doing." "...Apologizing..." "Stand up woman, you're making me and literally everyone uncomfortable here." Enju stood up. "I do not know what you are apologizing for, but it is unnecessary. You have done nothing to offend me." "...You were clearly not comfortable during dinner with a ninja sitting beside you. I wanted to apologize." Lon'qu stared down at her. "And why would a ninja make me uncomfortable." His voice was stern, but with a hint of confusion. "A ninja is nothing compared to a knight or swordsman. I am but a shadow compared to you, sir." Lon'qu became visibly annoyed. The hall was now empty except for them. "I am not familiar with your way of thinking. Even though I'm not from around here, the Shepherds do not differentiate between ninjas and knights." "...aha. So that's why Pri- I mean Chrom asked for my presence. I'll be on my way then." And with the blink of an eye, Enju disappeared. Lon'qu shrugged slightly.

That night, Enju laid on the castle roofs to stare at the clear skies. She needed time to think, as her whole way of thinking did not seem to apply here. "This is weird. Every lesson unrelated to fighting I was reminded of being lesser than the common knights. What do they expect of me?" She twirled a shuriken around her fingers. "...What should I do now? How do I behave? Leave perhaps? Where could someone like me go?"

Some time passed, a few battles happened. Still, Enju had more trouble joining the Shepherds for dinner. The swordsman still behaved weird and Fortunately, today there was pudding for dessert. Enju's eyes sparkled as she sat down next to Stahl. Her happiness did not go unnoticed. "Do you perhaps want my pudding as well? I've never seen you this happy." Stahl commented as he offered her his portion. "YE- I-I mean... Only if you don't want it." "You don't have to restrain yourself, after the past battles I'm sure you've earned some extra dessert at least." Stahl shoved his bowl towards Enju. "Thank you mil- damn I mean Stahl." Everyone around them ignored her language. The brown haired man just chuckled. "You'll get used to calling us by our first names eventually." "I'll beat your ass if you call me lord one more time!" Vaike interrupted loudly. "...Copy that...Milord" Enju replied with her mouth full of pudding. A silence fell. Did Enju just openly provoke the Vaikenator? The blonde needed some time to process it. "Did you just-" Enju swallowed her pudding and showed a smile. "I did milord. What do you want to do about it?" Cherche stared amused at the happenings in front of her. She was sitting next to Stahl on the other side across from Muriel, who ignored it altogether. "Draw your weapons girl. I don't joke." Vaike grinned, taking out his axe from god knows where as it was not usual to bring weapons to the mess hall. Enju finished Stahl's pudding and stood up, drawing two kodachi's that had been resting on her back. Just like Vaike, Enju did not like to be apart from her weapons. Unlike Vaike, she did not lose them regularly. "Let's take this outside." Vaike started, as he received an angry glare from Muriel. She jumped over the table and followed the axe master outside. Some followed them.

A gentle wind blew on the open field where Enju and Vaike stood across from each other. The sun was slowly setting, and only the sound of chirping birds echoed. Even though the blonde holding the axe was much taller than the ninja, she was not worried. For someone like Vaike, a fast small target was the worst.

Enju held up her hand, signaling Vaike to come at her. "You're provoking me now ninja gi-" Then he lost her. "I wouldn't dare." She whispered in his ear, appearing behind him. Fortunately for the blonde, he had the most battle experience and expertly blocked her attack with his weapon. He grinned, and countered, making her jump back. As this went on for a few minutes, they were both getting more serious. Onlookers were cheering as Enju and Vaike exchanged blows. The blonde grinned at the extra support. "It's time to end this ninja girl!" "My words exactly!" Enju jumped forward, planning to meet Vaike's axe with her daggers. At the last moment, she spinned underneath the axe attack. "Wha-" "I win." Enju pointed a dagger upwards at his throat, the other one against his axe to protect herself. Vaike blinked, but did not seemed surprised. "Nicely done ninja girl." Enju nodded slightly and put back her daggers. "Thank you for this match. I look forward to our rematch." "Next time, the Vaikenator won't hold back!" The blone proclaimed, still proud as ever. "S-sure." He had been holding back? Had he been testing her? Enju heard someone grumble. The brown-haired swordsman. He claimed not having anything against her profession, but his distaste was palpable. Enju decided not to pursue. There were many more like him who despised the ones working in the shadows doing the work no one wanted to do. Enju sheathed her daggers. "...I want some more pudding." Much to her disdain, the pudding was gone. The Mess Hall had emptied during their fight. Dejected, she sat down on the wooden bench. "Woman. What are you still doing here." Enju looked up. Just her luck, she looked right at the brown haired swordsman. "...Pudding." She eyed the man. He held a broom in his hands. Enju reached out her hand, so he could hand over the broom. However, it did not go as planned. Instead, he just frowned. "Did you not want to give me that broom?" "What? No. I'm on cleaning duty. I want you to leave." The hall looked rather large for one person to sweep. As calming it might was, it would take some time for him to do it all by himself. "Could I assist you then?" "No." Lon'qu replied flatly. "Are you sure mil- I mean-" "Woman are you deaf." "I can assure you that I am not deaf. It's just-" Enju swallowed her words after she saw his face. He was not amused and probably incredibly annoyed with her. Enju felt a pang in her stomach. He should just hand her the broom and let her do it. Instead, Enju vanished, leaving Lon'qu behind.

"Tsk." She found herself on the roof again. "What's his problem? Does he hate me or something? He's so vague." The moon was bright again, stars adorning the dark sky. Still, the weather was soft and comfortable. It did not take long for Enju to fall asleep on the roof.

"Tch. What's her problem? What an annoying woman." Lon'qu was expertly sweeping the floor. He grumbled when he came across Vaike's usual spot. It turned into a scowl when some food got stuck in his broom. "...Great." He felt conflicted. It was his last day on cleaning duty. On one hand he was glad. He could spend his time more useful after this. On the other hand did that mean that someone else -probably severly incapable of cleaning- would take over. He grumbled again. He went to look on the roster in the kitchen. His face turned sour. "Of course. Just my luck."

The next day after breakfast, Lon'qu stopped Enju in het tracks. He shoved the broom towards her. She gave him a confused look. The swordsman sighed. "Your turn, woman." "My turn?" "Everything you need is in the kitchen. The roster tells you what to do and when to do it." "Yessir." "Hmmph."

And so, after dinner, Enju was sweeping the Mess Hall. Lost in thought, she carefully cleaned the floor. One spot was particularly dirty. "Isn't this where that axe man normally sits?"

After she was done, Enju put the broom where the roster said it was supposed to be put back. The roster was surprisingly detailed. "Which neat freak would've made this?" Not really contemplating this, she wandered off to look for food. "By Naga!" There it was. Just one perfect portion. Like it had been left especially for her. The God's gift. "So there was some left!" Enju's eyes sparkled. Was it alright to take it? She shook her head. "This is destiny!" She snatched the neatly packaged bowl of pudding from the pantry and smirked. After she found a spoon, she sat down in the mess hall. "Thank you Naga, for this blissful pudding. May the one who made it be granted his or her every wish." Enju prayed before digging in.

A mere minute later, she found herself back in her room. She used to be a nightowl, but the Shepherd's schedule had slowly messed with her and made Enju a normal person of society. "I should probably get some sleep."

"Alright, good morning everyone! I've gathered you all today for a special announcement." Instead of Chrom, Robin was talking. He didn't look happy. "As you all know, the war with Plegia is upon us." The white haired tactician sighed. "Unfortunately." She looked around the hall. "We'll be leaving this stronghold in two weeks, so you should all prepare to leave by then. I've set up some group training rounds, so be sure to check the roster in the training hall." "So many rosters..." Enju thought. She was glad that the cleaning duty was done in any case. "If you have trouble with anything, please don't hesitate to ask me or Chrom for help." With that, Robin ended the assembly. "Has anyone seen my axe?" Enju ignored the plea for help and decided to check the roster in the training hall. She would join the sessions as it was asked of her. Training alone wasn't always fun anyway. "Ah. I'm not on it." Enju concluded after not seeing her name anywhere. A pang of disappointment shot through her body. "I guess I'll go look for Robin." "You should just train alone then." A low voice said behind her. The tall, brown-haired swordsman. Enju didn't reply as his comment surprised her. "... I train alone all the time." She started. "I hoped to be part of the sessions today." "Try again tomorrow woman." "...Are you frustrated because you're not on the list as well?" "Excuse me?" Lon'qu awkwardly stepped around Enju and quickly looked over the roster. "...Tch." "Want to spar with me?" "I don't spar with women. Wielding a sword is a man's job." Enju hid her clenched fists behind her back. "Are you afraid of losing?" Lon'qu gritted his teeth. "Of course not. I've seen what you can do, and it's not worth my-" Enju had already drawn her daggers and held one of them against his throat. "Even when I already won the first round?" The swordsman growled. "Fine. I'll make you regret this."

Weapons were drawn. Two trained pairs of eyes locked onto each other. Lon'qu shot forward. "Rgh!" The sheer power of his attack pushed Enju back, not been able to dodge the attack. She needed both her daggers to block, and her arms tingled. He continued attacking swiftly, using perfect technique to fluidly combine his attacks. Enju could only wait for an opening. And as soon as she found one, she attacked. Lon'qu noticed the stab move in time and dodged, countering immediately. Enju parried and stepped to his side, kicking him in his stomach with her shin. The swordsman braced himself for the attack. He took it without flinching and turned to attack. "I'm in trouble." Thought Enju. "If this keeps up, I have to go all out." As expected, Lon'qu kept up. He even increased his speed.

"Tch. She's keeping up." The brown-haired swordsman thought. Even after he sped up, she still hadn't taken a blow. Which he found odd, as he had seen her fight against Vaike. Then he just had to go all out. He was not planning to lose. She would regret provoking him.

Lon'qu blocked an overhead strike and pushed the ninja back. He gritted his teeth. Enju felt the adrenaline coursing through her body as she needed every bit of energy she could get. Lon'qu noticed that her arms lowered for a bit. She probably could not take many more of his strikes. No words were exchanged. Enju tried to find a way out of Lon'qu's relentless strikes. She growled as her arms took yet another one of his attacks. "Rhhah!" She pushed him back with all she could, but then realized her mistake. She was wide open. Yet, Lon'qu seemed to be getting tired as well. He panted, just a little. Enju evaded his counter just in time.

During the intense sparring match, several people had come to watch. Their own sessions had not begun yet, and I wasn't often that Lon'qu sparred with someone and it actually took longer than two minutes. "Go for it Enju." Stahl quietly muttered, watching from afar. Cordelia had stopped her training for the time being. As perfect as her spear attacks were, she couldn't help but take notes at Lon'qu's perfect technique. Both Stahl and Cordelia hadn't noticed that Chrom was standing next to them, watching as well. "What an intense match." He commented. "C-Chrom!? I didn't see you there!" Stahl exclaimed. "Shhh." Cordelia said, silencing Stahl. "I-It's fine haha." Chrom awkwardly replied, focusing on the sparring match again.

Lon'qu was sure she had gotten slower. "Any moment now..." Enju's arms had almost lost all feeling to them, and she gritted her teeth after every strike. Then, the brown-haired swordsman attacked again. An overhead strike made Enju drop her daggers. "N-no!" She exclaimed, but they already fell, her arms dropping. However, it didn't seem like the attack was going to stop. Surprised, Enju tried to jump back, but the blade of his sword was too long. He didn't stop. His sword slashed her right thigh, leaving a big cut. Blood immediately spurted from the wound and Enju fell backwards, groaning in pain. Her daggers made a clinging noise as they fell onto the ground, and at that moment, Lon'qu realized he had gone to far. He froze as Chrom came running. He didn't reply as Stahl asked if he had lost his temper. Sweat from the match had gone cold on his back and the swordsman could only stare in agony as the blue-haired prince scooped up the ninja and sprinted to the infirmary. "...y...h...g?!" Someone was talking to him. It took him a few moments to realize that Cordelia was almost shouting at him and Lon'qu instinctively took a step back. And another one. Covering his face with his right hand, gritting his teeth. She was way too close.

Enju was exhaling slowly as Lissa was healing the cut. She felt the blonde getting anxious, and Enju realized that the pain still persisted. Chrom was walking back and forth, a frown on his face. He glanced over almost every second. "...The cut went through your fermoral artery Enju." The ninja looked surprised at Chrom's sister. The fermoral artery was and important artery that supplies blood for the leg and thigh. Having cut it meant that the sword slashed through her complete leg. "It did not touch the bone, however. That's a good thing." Lissa sighed. "...What can we do?" Enju asked carefully, feeling lightheaded. "I've called more healers, I can't heal this enough on my own." Enju realized that even a full team of healers would not give a full recovery. Her gaze shifted towards Chrom while Lissa quickly instructed the incoming healers. The Exhalt looked serious, like he had just lost an important asset for the upcoming war.

Three more hours passed before the healer team managed to heal the cut enough that there was no more blood loss and the artery and muscles were healed enough. At least, that exactly what Lissa had told Enju. "...Eugh. Just my luck." "You look as white as a sheet." Chrom commented, an awkward smile plastered on his face. He had stayed the whole time, even when Lissa wanted him out of the room. Stubborn siblings. "Lissa told me I have lost a lot of blood." "Yeah, I could see that... I'm so glad they could fix it." "Thank you for carrying me here, it must have been very awkward for you." "No, not at all!" He replied immediately. A silence fell. "...Does Lon'qu hate me?" "..No I don't think he does." Chrom replied, scratching his head. "He's just... wary of women." Enju raised an eyebrow. "I can't tell you the details, you'll have to ask him yourself. All I know is that I'm not placing him close to females on the battlefield." He smiled awkwardly again. Something told Enju that he new exactly what was wrong with the swordsman, but he refused to tell her. Fair enough, she had to ask him himself. "I don't think Lon'qu will tell me what's his problem though." Chrom left after ensuring her that he would be back later. "Pfff, I'm tired." Enju realized that her arms still felt heavy. In fact, everything felt heavy.

"Great. Just my luck." Lon'qu grumbled. He stared at a sleeping Enju. He had planned to visit her later, but some people forced him to go earlier. The brown-haired man turned around and placed his hand on the doorknob, ready to leave. "..." The door wouldn't open. "Damn you, wretched woman." Lissa had locked the door. She is pure evil. Lon'qu swore, but froze in place when he heard a voice behind him. He turned around and Enju was staring right at him. He winced. "Don't look at me like that woman." "How do you want me to look at you? I'm going to miss the war because you couldn't hold back." Lon'qu looked at her. She looked genuinely upset. Her face was an unhealthy pale color. He looked away. "You dropped your daggers." "You did not have to cut me so deep. An entire team of healers was needed to fix my fermoral artery." The swordsman tugged the doorknob again. "I'm sure someone of your stature could have prevented my injury completely. Why did you cut me?" "It's not about my skill, it's-" He stopped talking. "Why did you even spar with me, Lon'qu?" The mention of his name made him uncomfortable. He didn't reply. Enju waited. "I don't know. You provoked me woman." He kept avoiding her gaze. "Could you at least say sorry?" Her voice showed a hint of annoyance, unable to hold it in. Lon'qu felt her eyes burn into his head, and eventually he managed to look at her. Everything in his body screamed at him, telling him to leave right this instant. The brown-haired man knew that he had gone to far. He had hurt her severely. She could have died, if not for the excellent healers. "...I'm sorry. I went too far." He ignored the sweat on his back. His shoulders hung low, and he didn't know what to do. Enju sunk back in her bed.

-_ Lon'qu & Enju have attained C-support-_


End file.
